Thomas Evans

Founder, EastWest Financial Services

Tom Evans has known Michael Ryan since 1993. “He engaged my firm, EastWest Financial Services Ltd., as the investment banker to arrange long-term project financing for a Sonesta Hotel he was building on his large mixed use property on the North Pacific coast of Costa Rica. We have had a very strong business association ever since. EastWest was also engaged as the investment banker for The Ritz-Carton, Grand Cayman project.”

“Mike has real vision as a developer and, I believe, is on the cutting edge of where his type of product is headed. He is constantly fine tuning the real estate product he offers his client and customer,” Evans added.

Describing Ryan’s strengths as “very strong marketing and sales skills, vision, drive and perseverance through all types of business adversity,” Evans said, “I believe a lot of off-shore developers and hotel industry types admire and respect Mike for the risks he’s taken. In many ways he is a pioneer in his business product, the branded serviced hotel condo product, which now has been enthusiastically adopted and widely imitated throughout North America.”

About Thomas Evans

Tom Evans specializes in international investment banking activities in developing countries. He is a founding partner of EastWestand is currently the sole principal at the firm. At EastWest, Mr. Evans has been responsible for placing in excess of $2 billion in debt and equity financing in a broad range of projects in emerging markets using nontraditional financing techniques. He provides specialized advice on private sector projects and is responsible for structuring, coordinating and raising the necessary funds for a project, including negotiating the financing terms, conditions, and economic concessions for a client. Some of the most recent examples of EastWestlarge-scale, mixed-use projects include the Four Seasons, Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, the Four Seasons, Exuma at Emerald Bay, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, and the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, Denver, Colorado.

Sir Richard Branson and Mike Ryan

Michael Ryan with Steve Case (Founder of AOL) and Congressman Robert Livingston